One of Diamond, One of Stone
by Asterie-Smiles
Summary: Hermione has a secret that no one's ever meant to find out, but someone has.... *C4 - 'Questions and Quidditch'...yep, it's finally here!*
1. Je Cherche Une Femme

One of Diamond, One of Stone  
  
By S_Star  
  
Summary: Hermione has a secret that no one was ever supposed to find out, but unfortunately, someone has. Who? Well, that would be telling.  
  
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling (and let me tell you right now, I'm not), I would be getting my stories published, making lots of money and receiving sackloads of fanmail each day, not putting them on ff.net and begging for just one tiny review.sorry, that was meant to be the feedback statement. So yeah, not mine. Unfortunately.  
  
Feedback: Ah, here we go! If you like this story, review. If you don't like it, review. If you wanna be my beta reader, PLEASE review. If you wanna know where the nearest pizza joint is, review. Just review and say anything, or drop me line at s_star@slayme.com because no matter what you think or say, I'm just a review junkie at heart.  
  
Dedication: HuntressDiana, who hates this 'ship.well, tough cookie, it's yours anyway.  
  
  
  
Je Cherche Une Femme.  
  
  
  
It was strange for it to be so dark, so quiet. It felt as though he was the only one there, the only living being in the whole huge castle.  
  
But the silence only served as a comfort to him; it always had. At home, he was used to shouts, screams, tears and pain, and at night, when everyone finally slept, he could finally find peace from the constant fear that surrounded him during the painfully long hours of daylight.  
  
Only those closest to him knew how he felt about his home life, and those people were few and far between. He had his pride, the pride that came with the name he bore, and there was no way he could turn his back on who he was like that, as much as he often found himself wishing to.  
  
Turning down another familiar corridor, still well hidden by the cover of darkness, he mentally berated himself for thinking that. He couldn't feel that way, he wasn't allowed to.  
  
A part of his mind, some distant, soft-voiced part, murmured that he had rights to his own feelings, that it didn't matter who he was meant to be, but the voice of reason, the echo of his own father's voice, silenced it. He would do what he had to do, be who he had to be.or else.  
  
Pushing the door of the library gently open, willing it to make no sound, he stepped into the now dark area. It seemed almost sinister at that moment, towering shelves casting impossibly dark shadows onto the already pitch black areas around them. Regardless of this, he moved hastily through the maze of bookshelves, finally reaching his goal. There she was, at a table in the very back corner, moonlight shining down on her through a crack in the heavy velvet curtains of the window above, giving her an almost ethereal look, far from her usual appearance. If they weren't.who they were, he would have considered her beautiful, but he couldn't feel like that towards her.  
  
Stepping closer, trying to maintain the quiet, he was able to see her face. She was asleep, head lying between the pages of an open book, another stack of texts next to her. Even in sleep, her forehead was marred with the lines that came with the constant pressure she put herself under.  
  
Catching himself before he managed to brush away the wisp of hair that had fallen on her face - you can't feel that way towards her; never - he moved round behind her and put one hand on her shoulder.  
  
At this, Hermione awoke, sitting straight up, propelling him back until he'd almost hit the wall behind him.  
  
'What was that for?' he snapped, one hand reaching up to check the lump he felt growing on the back of his head before allowing the look of pain on his face to morph back into his trademark smirk.  
  
Shaking her head to clear the fog of sleep from her brain, she squinted at him. 'Malfoy?!'  
  
AN - I don't really know whether to continue this or just leave it for the birds, so I await your opinions.  
  
I'll just sit here by the review page, pressing refresh. there should be one any minute now. yup, sometime soon. Aw, I'm outta here. No, wait, just one more minute.  
  
Nah, I'll publish more regardless of opinion, but "Feedback paves the way to a writer's happiness," as one of my fave authors, Charisma (I will get back to you about that collaboration, btw!), once said. 


	2. Deals in the Dark

One of Diamond, One of Stone  
  
By S_Star  
  
'If one was of diamond and one was of stone, which would shatter first?'  
  
Disclaimer: I would love to be able to say I own them all, and I would be tempted to if I wasn't broke. When I become a millionaire, though, I won't care who sues me, so watch this space.  
  
Feedback: I need it like I need chocolate, my modem, my Buffy videos, and, what's that thing called? Oh, yeah, oxygen. s_star@slayme.com  
  
Dedication: Mia, Isabella, Lori, Cat woman.whatever your name is. I know it's not B/S or really related to anything, but here ya go!  
  
*Just reposted this chapter cuz of two spelling mistakes.*  
  
  
  
AN - Malfoy's 'evil' at this point. Just remember that.  
  
I am also aware that it is also très obscure.don't worry, it gets worse. ^_^  
  
And some of the quotes describing Draco are really describing the drop-dead (literally) gorgeous Spike from Buffy, I just borrowed them cuz they seemed suitable.  
  
Oh, and the title of the last chapter means 'I'm Looking for a Woman'. Sorry about that!  
  
Also, the passwords to the common rooms come from the talented mind of SilentDreams, so don't thank me!  
  
  
  
Deals in the Dark  
  
  
  
'What's the matter, Granger, disappointed? Expecting your two boyfriends instead?'  
  
Hermione shook her head in disbelief. 'What are you doing here?'  
  
Draco smirked again. 'There's something you can do for me.'  
  
This time, she laughed out loud. 'I don't think you understand the principle of me hating you.'  
  
Scowling now, he stepped towards her, gradually closing the distance between them until he was very close to invading her personal space. 'Oh, this isn't about hate. It's about what you can do for me.and what I can do to you.'  
  
She moved away from him and folded her arms. 'I'm not quite sure what you're saying, but you are aware-'  
  
'That Potty and Weasel, your little guardians, are always looking over your shoulder for you?' His smile widened slightly. 'I know that. But this has nothing to do with them.'  
  
He walked in close again, backing her into a corner before leaning in to whisper something to her. 'I know who you are, MUDBLOOD,' he sneered, one corner of his mouth quirking up on the last word. 'Or should I say, I know WHAT you are.'  
  
Before she could react, a voice came from behind a nearby shelf, startling them both and causing Draco to jump backwards, falling down with Hermione on top of him. They scrambled to their feet and were met by the steely gaze of Filch, the caretaker, with Mrs Norris weaving between his legs, purring.  
  
'Well.students out of bed.' He rubbed his hands together in evident glee, looking between the two. 'And prefects at that.'  
  
'Mr Filch, it's not.we were just studying!' said Hermione in desperation. Nothing was going to mar her perfect record so far as a prefect.  
  
'Studying? Is that what they call it now?' He gave a small chuckle, shocking them both. 'Well, come with me.I think we should be seeing the heads of your houses now, don't you?'  
  
With no choice but to follow, they did, walking as far apart as the narrower corridors of the school would allow them, until they reached Filch's office.  
  
'Now you two just stay here while I go fetch Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.' He gave them one last sneering glance before turning and walking away, leaving them under the stern eye of Mrs Norris, who was now sitting on Filch's desk eying them watchfully.  
  
Instantly, they turned to face each other, Hermione's face contorted in anger. 'You can't tell anyone about me! If anyone finds out.'  
  
With a lazy smirk on his face, Draco leant back in his chair. 'How are you going to ensure that I won't tell?' he drawled.  
  
'That's blackmail!' she shouted, causing Mrs Norris to jump up, every fur seeming to stand on end. She leant in closer to Draco. 'You can't do this!' she hissed.  
  
'Who's stopping me?'  
  
'This is wrong!'  
  
'Like I said, Granger, I've got a few things you can do for me. And if you do, your secret's safe. Deal?' He raised an eyebrow.  
  
'Deal,' she replied, moving even closer to shake his outstretched hand. She couldn't believe she was trusting a Slytherin, let alone him, but Hermione knew she had no choice. If anyone found out she was-  
  
At that moment, Filch returned, an exhausted-looking Snape and McGonagall following close behind.  
  
Just then, Hermione and Draco noticed their clasped hands, and wrenched them away, Hermione suddenly fascinated by the quill lying on the desk and Draco finding the list of forbidden objects (all four hundred and fifty six of them; there'd been some additions since their fourth year) extremely interesting.  
  
'Now, Mr Filch, what was so serious that it couldn't wait until a less ungodly hour?' asked McGonagall, obviously feeling a certain degree of animosity towards the person who'd woken her up.  
  
'Well, professors, I was heading down to the dungeons when I heard a crash from the library.' he began, obviously very proud of his achievement. 'So I went to try and catch Peeves in the act, finally get that stupid poltergeist-'  
  
Snape gave a cough and Filch winced before returning to his tale. 'Anyway, I look round a bookshelf, and there, at the back of the library, were those two.' He tilted his head towards the two students. ' 'Studying'.' Hermione would normally have found the appearance of Filch using air quotes hilarious, but she was too busy hating Malfoy to pay much attention.  
  
At that point, Snape and McGonagall both turned to the pair, each raising an eyebrow, another image that would be deemed laugh-worthy at any other time.  
  
They surveyed the two, regarding them closely. It was strange how much the two students had changed in their time at Hogwarts. Hermione Granger, shy, studious, bushy-haired eleven year old had become the elegant young woman sitting before them. Gradually, her hair had lost its former frizz, and had somehow transformed itself into sleek, even curls, without the aid of magic, she assured everyone. Her figure had also filled out, slim and tall with curves in all the right places, and she was one of the most pursued female students at the school, much to the chagrin of the jealous Ron and Harry.  
  
Draco, although different, remained a Malfoy; his sleek, almost unnaturally blond hair making his identity and heritage instantly recognisable. He'd also grown taller, though not quite the six foot three Ron had managed to reach, and was 'compact, yet well-muscled' as a giggling Ginny had once pointed out, evoking horrified gasps from everyone present in the Gryffindor common room at the time, even causing Parvati Patil to pass out in shock. But those features coupled with the seemingly endless pools of ice he called eyes earned him more attention from the girls, Gryffindor included, than even the great Harry Potter won by flashing the scar on his forehead.  
  
'Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, I would have expected better from the two of you.' Neither of them responded or risked a glance anywhere near the other. 'You will both be serving detentions next week. We will give you details of where and when you will serve it when the two of us are more awake.' She shot a pointed look at Filch before turning to the door. 'And for now, I think it would be best for the two of you to return to your common rooms.'  
  
She and Snape then turned and stalked out, turning in opposite directions down the corridor towards their houses' respective common rooms.  
  
'I was just studying, you know,' muttered Hermione, more to herself than to McGonagall, but the teacher just nodded knowingly.  
  
'Of course you were. Now you go back to bed, I heard you have a potions examination tomorrow.'  
  
'Canary creams.' As the portrait marking the entrance to her common room swung open on the password marking the legacy of Fred and George Weasley, Hermione cursed softly. She'd completely forgotten about the test Snape was springing on the first lesson tomorrow. That had been, in fact, what she had been revising for in the library before she'd fallen asleep and Malfoy had made his special guest appearance. But then again, Snape had never given especially good marks to anyone who wasn't in Slytherin before, especially not a Gryffindor, especially not HER.  
  
Exhausted, she collapsed onto her bed, still in her robes, and allowed sleep to overtake her.  
  
***  
  
Snape travelled swiftly and silently through the corridors of the castle towards the Slytherin common room, Draco Malfoy following closely behind. As the reached the door, Snape stopped abruptly, almost causing Draco to walk into his dark-clad back.  
  
'I must say, Mister Malfoy, I'm very surprised.' He paused as if waiting for a response, but continued when none came. 'I didn't think that a girl like Miss Granger would be your type.'  
  
'She's not!' Draco replied instantly, and, in Snape's opinion, a little too adamantly.  
  
'I see. So what WERE you two doing in the library, then?'  
  
Draco had no answer for that. He couldn't tell anyone what was going on without suffering the consequences, and besides, what was blackmail if someone else knew about it? 'Parseltongue,' was all he said, allowing the bricks of the wall to form the familiar archway into the Slytherin common room before entering without a backwards glance.  
  
***  
  
'You'll be great, Harry, you know the Ravenclaws have never beaten us!' said Ron amidst mouthfuls of porridge. It was the day of the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and, as team captain, Harry had taken it upon himself to do the worrying for the entire team.  
  
'I know,' Harry replied determinedly. The Quidditch Cup would be theirs this year, he would make sure of it. It was his first year as captain, and they were going to do WELL.  
  
As the doors to the Great Hall swung open, their eyes turned to watch Professor Snape enter, looking in need of a few more hours sleep.  
  
'God, Snape's looking worse than usual!' hissed Ron, trying to avoid attracting the professor's attention. 'Do you reckon he got any sleep at all?' These comments were followed by a cry of 'Bloody hell!' when he saw the bags under McGonagall's eyes. 'What d'you reckon's going on?' he asked Harry.  
  
'What?'  
  
'Snape and McGonagall are ready to drop any second!'  
  
'And?' asked Harry, somewhat annoyed that Ron was muttering about the professors when there was an important Quidditch match coming up.  
  
'Well there's obviously a reason for it. I mean, there's gotta be a reason for it. Unless-'  
  
'No, Ron,' said Harry firmly, putting an end to any thoughts along those lines before they even began.  
  
Just then, Peeves floated in, a malicious grin spread across his features as he flew over to their seats at the Gryffindor table.  
  
'Well, if it's not that, why are they-'  
  
Peeves, deciding it was time to be heard, flew down the table, smashing various pieces of dinnerware as he did so. Certain he'd attracted everyone's attention, he hovered just under the layer of clouds hiding the sky of the enchanted ceiling before beginning the atrocious rhyme he'd composed while listening in on the 'sentencing' the previous night.  
  
'When they searched the dorms, there were two students missing, 'cause Granger and Malfoy were caught downstairs kissing!'  
  
There was silence for a minute followed by an uproar. All the Gryffindors had risen to their feet and were shouting abuse at the Slytherins and vice- versa while the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were muttering about how it couldn't be true.  
  
Glances down the tables confirmed that neither if the 'couple' in question were present, and the voices rose ever higher, unable to be quelled by the professors, as the rumours grew more and more extreme.  
  
***  
  
Hermione woke from her fitful sleep at ten to nine, allowing ten minutes for her to get to Potions class.  
  
As she hurried to pick up her books and tried to smooth the crinkles in her robes, her mind kept straying to the visions that had plagued her dreams that last night and many before.  
  
They were all broken memories, tiny shards of glass that, when put together, would form a complete mirror.if she could only find them all. She couldn't remember much about what it had been like, she didn't know why her life had changed so drastically to become what it was now.  
  
All she could remember were images, like a slideshow passing through her mind, all unrelated. Some were happy, but most felt too painful to dwell on, as if the glass would stab her if she stepped too close.  
  
She was so engrossed in these thoughts as she strode with her head down through the familiar path to Snape's dungeon that she didn't notice the figure coming towards her until they collided.  
  
***  
  
'Hey, watch it, Granger!' came an all too familiar voice from behind her as Draco watched in amusement as Hermione scrabbled round trying to pick up the quills and various ingredients which were now scattered over the stone floor.  
  
'Are you just going to stand there?' she finally snapped, glaring up at him as he leant back against a wall, bag slung over his shoulder and hands held in the pockets of his robes.  
  
'Why, need some help down there, Mudblood?' he sneered, kicking the pot of ink she was reaching for down the hallway and out of her grasp.  
  
'No, I'm fine, thank you,' she said in a sweet voice laced with sarcasm.  
  
'Oh, good. So, how do you think you're going to do on the exam?' he asked casually, cold eyes watching her every movement.  
  
'Whatever I do, I doubt that Snape's going to regard it as good,' she replied distractedly, finally retrieving the last jar of snake eyes and standing up slowly, brushing off her robes.  
  
'Oh, so you won't mind failing then?'  
  
'What?!'  
  
Draco finally looked up from his inspection of the ground. 'Oh, I forgot, you don't know that word. Well, Miss Know-It-All, to fail is a verb meaning-'  
  
'I know what it means to fail, I just don't want to!' she shouted, stepping in close to him, ready to whip out her wand at any second.  
  
Closing the gap between them, leaving their faces just inches apart, Draco raised his hand to her shoulder. 'Come now, Mia,' he coaxed her mockingly. 'Surely you don't want everyone to find out where you really came from.'  
  
A sudden creak jolted them out of their reverie, and they were greeted by the shocked faces of their entire potions class.  
  
'Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger.so nice of you to join us.'  
  
  
  
AN - OK, so you know what to do now, right? If you answered 'review', you'd be absolutely correct!  
  
Also, the chapters will increase in length as I get more into the story.  
  
OK, now here's that li'l bit at the end where I speak to my adoring public. ^_^ All I've gotta say is.15 reviews in less than a day! *does little dance of joy*  
  
jess - I got your review less than 5 minutes after I posted the fic. Thanx so much!  
  
Kaliegh Blaze - hope this wasn't too long to wait.  
  
Jereni - I'm on someone's fave list! WOW!  
  
Awriterforlife - I did e-mail you about that, didn't I?  
  
Raven Review - they WILL mix, trust me.it's called character development.^_~  
  
hasapi - I get crueller.And of course I'll e-mail you updates.  
  
Kitty Kat - finally someone takes me seriously!  
  
mab - the secret will be revealed in due course.I'm gonna try for suspense.  
  
Anon - I'd be your best friend if I knew who you were!  
  
PassionPolice237 - Aw! Thank you so much! Hard to believe that I write like the author of 'Flames of Ecstasy'! I love your fic!  
  
pocketgopher - I translated it in the author's note at the top - 'I'm Looking For A Woman'  
  
Dark-angel - you're a far better poet than me!  
  
clairamalfoy - they other parts will be longer, that was kind of a prologue.  
  
hyper_shark - way ahead of ya!  
  
drych - if you insist.  
  
And please, if you're reading this, go read DKFairy's new D/Hr fic, 'Masquerade', cuz it's really good! 


	3. A Passion for Potions

One of Diamond, One of Stone  
  
By S_Star  
  
  
  
'If one was of diamond and one was of stone, which would shatter first?'  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All the magicks in the world wouldn't buy me these characters, although that love spell I put on Draco's quite effective.  
  
Also, the lyrics are to 'Flora's Secret' by Enya (words by Roma Ryan), and it's there for a reason. Just remember that song, okay?  
  
Feedback: I've been really good this year, Santa, so what can you give me? No, I don't want the characters, that was the disclaimer! Are you paying any attention to me at all? What I wanted was reviews! Lots of 'em! And e-mails! I can only improve if you tell me how. s_star@slayme.com  
  
Dedication: SilentDreams, I love you! Also DKFairy, one of the few people who didn't have a screaming fit at the mention of D/Hr.  
  
AN - First, I'm sick. I have a cold, a splitting headache, no voice and I feel physically sick. Therefore, you must forgive any errors or anything, and give me lots of reviews to make me feel better!  
  
I also wanted to apologise for the fact that Snape is EXTREMELY OOC. I just can't write his character.  
  
  
  
A Passion for Potions  
  
  
  
Wrenching out of Draco's grip, Hermione turned and strode into the dungeon without a backward glance, and he followed with a small smirk on his face, his eyes not leaving her for a second as he slipped into his seat between Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
'Well, now that we are all present.' Snape began, and Hermione managed to block him out quite successfully as she concentrated on organising her equipment for the lesson.  
  
'Hey, 'Mione!' hissed Ron, leaning round Harry to talk to her. She ignored him, so he elbowed Harry. 'Oy, get Hermione for me!'  
  
Harry also nudged her, but she was too busy arranging he r stationery to pay him much attention.  
  
'I suggest you don't waste your breath there, Potter. It appears Miss Granger has.moved on.'  
  
He shot a look at Draco, who was sitting and apparently listening attentively, no expression on his face.  
  
Hermione, however, looked up instantly, an expression of horrified rage etched on her face. 'What are you implying?' she asked icily, her body language and expression betraying the emotion she was trying to hide.  
  
At this, the few members of the class who hadn't been paying attention snapped up, staring in shock at the first person in what seemed to be forever to dare talk like that to Snape.  
  
The professor himself, however, had the Snape equivalent of an amused smile on his face. 'I'm surprised you haven't heard yet, Miss Granger. Everyone else in the school certainly has.'  
  
'Found out what?'  
  
'What's been going on between you and Mister Malfoy.' As if on cue, Seamus, Dean and Neville burst into a rousing chorus of Peeves' song, while Harry and Ron sent death glares over at a smug Draco.  
  
'THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND DRACO!' Hermione shouted, and it was only in the silence that followed that she realised her slip. Clamping one hand to her mouth in realisation, she looked round at the stunned faces of the class, including Snape himself.  
  
Draco was the first to recover, and much to everyone's surprise, he looked at Hermione and pouted, eyes pretending to fill with tears. 'But, Mia, I thought you loved me,' he said in a strangely convincing voice. For some reason, the Slytherins found this hilarious, and soon many of them were literally rolling on the ground with laughter, while Draco sat still, not letting his gaze leave Hermione, and he was smiling sincerely, if such a thing was possible, both eyebrows raised, daring her to think of a comeback.  
  
Just as Harry and Ron were standing up, ready to curse him, Snape called order. It was strange for him to have left it so long, but everyone thought that even the teachers would be intrigued by this sudden comradeship between the rival houses. 'I would like to remind you that you are about to undertake a serious examination,' he began, the tone of his voice quelling any remainder of the apparent anarchy that had reigned mere moments before. As he handed out the assignments they were to fulfil, Hermione's mind travelled back to what she'd just said.  
  
It was weird; she hadn't thought about it, it had just.come out. But she had to admit that 'between me and Draco' did sound better than 'between me and Malfoy', and it was easier to say.  
  
Glancing down at the tasks they were to complete, Hermione was pleasantly surprised. The first two tasks were third-year level work, and the final question was to create your own potion using the ingredients listed. Satisfied that she would enjoy this test, she settled down to work, suddenly stopping when she remembered the conversation she and Draco had had outside-Okay, so now she was calling him Draco in her thoughts. But it was actually easier to say, and think, then 'Malfoy', which seemed a mouthful at the best of times.  
  
Then, she felt eyes on her back, and turned round slowly, trying not to be obvious. She didn't even need to try and guess who it was.  
  
'What?' she mouthed angrily.  
  
'Fail,' he replied simply, his expression once again daring her to disobey.  
  
She responded with a string of silent profanities, at which he laughed slightly, putting one hand to his heart and moving back in an exaggerated motion.  
  
'The great Granger knows words like those?'  
  
Just as she was about to show him just how wide her vocabulary really was, she felt the familiar shadow of Snape fall on her desk, and she turned back quickly.  
  
'Is Mister Malfoy proving to be a distraction to you?'  
  
As the class once again turned to look at her, Hermione felt her cheeks beginning to burn again. 'No, sir,' she said hastily, immediately allowing her gaze to fall back to the paper on the table. Snape merely nodded and continued his 'patrol' of the room.  
  
Unhappily, Hermione poured a liberal amount of diluted ostrich saliva into her cauldron, trying to avert her gaze from the dusky pink mush in front of her that was supposed to be a powerful sleeping draught but had turned out to be.well, even she herself didn't know, and she couldn't turn this in for the 'create your own.' task as she had absolutely no idea what it was meant to be for.  
  
Tears were threatening to fall by the time she'd unsuccessfully completed the second section, especially as the arcs of powder-blue smoke signifying Malfoy's success wafted over to where she was standing.  
  
Bottling the potion, she muttered a quick charm to clean out her cauldron before rereading the final task for what felt like the hundredth time.  
  
'Using only the ingredients from the list, as many or as few as are required, concoct a potion of your choice or design, stating in writing its purpose, its effect, how it was made and how you came to invent it.'  
  
Looking down at the ingredients, she could see at least five possible combinations, as well as three or four that would be absolutely useless. Better go for one of those, then. Now, there was one that would turn into a giant ball of wax or something.no, she wouldn't give Malfoy the satisfaction of failing really badly. She could still fail if she only just got this wrong, rather than having bottom marks in the class.  
  
It was pretty clever of him, though, she mused as she added a slice of shrivelfig to the shredded asphodel already lying in the cauldron. Not everyone could fail deliberately, because you had to know what was right to know what was wrong. She glanced round the room again, deliberately avoiding Malfoy, and she watched as a small explosion came from Neville's cauldron. She loved Neville really, but she had a feeling that if he tried to deliberately fail a potions exam he might actually pass. It wasn't his fault he wasn't good at potions, and she had a feeling that fear of Professor Snape had an awful lot to do with it, as did the constant teasing of those stupid Slytherins, one in particular.  
  
Damn Malfoy.  
  
There, he was Malfoy again. Possibly because 'Damn Draco', although alliterative, was.well, listen to it. Damn.Draco.it didn't go.  
  
Hermione shook her head again, puzzling at the weirdness of her thoughts - why alliteration? - before it occurred to her how strange it was to have not had an English class in six years. Or maths. Or science. When you thought about it, so many Muggles, her parents included, had so much more.knowledge than she or any other students at the school. Sure, they could be brilliant, complete geniuses - genii? Maybe they should have made English language an option here - but it was not the type of knowledge that would get them anywhere in the real world. To be able to recite the dates of the Goblin Rebellions was one thing, but employers would usually find basic physics more useful, not that many Hogwarts pupils would be looking for employment in the 'Muggle World', but it was still something to marvel at.  
  
She was jolted out of her thoughts by a faint sound coming from behind her, and she reluctantly turned to where he was, taking in the smug expression on his face as he smirked down into his cauldron.  
  
'Lovers in the long grass Look above them Only they can see Where the clouds are going. Only to discover Dust and sunlight Ever make the sky so blue.'  
  
The sound soon developed into music, a hauntingly chilling melody that Hermione vaguely remembered hearing when she had been in Diagon Alley that summer. She recognised the lyrics to be from a song by Enya, and wondered briefly if Enya was a witch, before listening again to the tune itself, which was distinctly different to the song she remembered.  
  
'Afternoon is hazy, River flowing, All around the sounds Moving closer to them; Telling them the story Told by Flora. Dreams they never knew.'  
  
Yeah, it was different all right - there seemed only to be a single Irish pipe playing in the background, and the light, carefree feeling the original song brought with it had been replaced with a sound of what could almost be classed as despair or mourning.  
  
'Silver willows, Tears from Persia, Those who come From a far-off island. Winter Chanterelle lies Under cover; Glory-of-the-sun in blue.'  
  
By now, the whole class had turned to stare, Dean whispering something about such a proud pureblood listening to Muggle music, but Hermione barely noticed. She had never been affected by the spell of the Veelas, but now she understood what it must be like. This song was hypnotic, absorbing, and she could feel herself falling.  
  
'Some they know as passion, Some as freedom, Some they know as love And the way it leaves them. Summer snowflake For a season, When the sky above is blue.'  
  
It was as if she was in a trance, relying on the music, it was pulling her somewhere, but she didn't know where. All she knew was that something terrible would happen if she didn't follow, so she did. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew there was something about those words, some reason for this particular song to be playing, but this was barely noted as the singing once again began to flow around her.  
  
'Lying in the long grass, Close beside her Giving her the name  
  
Of the one the moon loves; This will be the day she Will remember, When she knew his heart was Loving in the long grass, Close beside her, Whispering of love And the way it leaves them, Lying in the long grass, In the sunlight, They believe it's true love.'  
  
Oh, what was it about that song? There was something in the lyrics, something she knew she was meant to notice, if she could only place it.but then there was singing again, and she found herself lost once more.  
  
'And from all around them, Flora's secret, Telling them of love And the way it breathes and Looking up from eyes of amaranthine They can see the sky is blue, Knowing that their love is true. Dreams they never knew. And the sky above is blue.'  
  
And with the dying notes, Hermione skyrocketed back down to earth, and landed with a thud on the stone floor of the dungeon.  
  
When she came round, the first face she saw was of Malfoy, looking genuinely concerned, although his amazing acting skills had been proven time and time again. 'You all right down there, Mia?' he asked, seeming to have grown fond of this new nickname for her.  
  
'I'm fine,' she replied shortly, adding, 'No thanks to you,' under her breath. Ignoring the hand he offered her, she stumbled to her feet with the aid of the nearest desk. 'What happened?'  
  
'I was just commenting on Mister Malfoy's perfectly concocted Cantare potion,' Snape interjected, his trademark sly smile on his face, 'And the fact that he passed his exam with the highest marks in all the years I have taught here. Now, how is Gryffindor's resident know-it-all doing?'  
  
Hermione set her mouth in a thin line and turned back to her cauldron, where the simmering mixture had just finished boiling down to ashes.  
  
'I'm afraid I'll have to fail you, Miss Granger,' he continued, his expression and tone showing none of the sadness he spoke of. 'None of these tasks have been successfully completed, and I would assume that someone who other members of the staff regard so highly would no never to mix holly roots with ivy leaves unless you wish for Professor Dumbledore to have these dungeons fumigated.'  
  
As the class got ready to leave, all having suffered Snape's 'judging' of the potions, he made one last announcement, not allowing the subtlety many other professors would have. 'Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, you are to serve your detentions here with me on Friday evening at eight.'  
  
Now more awake than she had been during last night's incident, Hermione was ready to complain. 'Professor Snape, prefects are allowed out after hours, aren't they?'  
  
'Yes, but I sincerely doubt that two o'clock in the morning is an appropriate time for anyone to be wandering around. Besides, Madam Pince needs her rest as much as we do, which is why the library closes at seven every evening. Now, if you have no further complaints, I suggest you leave me to clear up this mess you've made.' he finished, gesturing towards Hermione's table, whch was now beginning to melt as an after-effect of her exam. 'And fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor for talking back to your potions master.'  
  
With that, Snape practically pushed the pair out of the door, after one last shared smirk with Malfoy, leaving the two alone in the corridor once again.  
  
  
  
AN - Review now, please! Readers are the reason I write! And whoever said alliteration was effective, I just proved you wrong. Ha! Sorry, this chapter's got a bit of a thing for alliteration. And I thought my English teacher was just mad (she sang karaoke to 'It's Raining Men' last week), but obviously I learned something. (. is called graphological ellipsis and if you think enough, part of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' parallels the relationship between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Spike.or maybe that's just me). But she's giving us the 'Super Bumper Christmas Fun Quiz' on Thursday, with karaoke round and charades round, and she gives us sweets in class, so I'm not complaining! And I'm at 'The Rochester Grammar School for Girls' (yeah, I know, the name's kinda.); I'm not just some year 3 kid with a sweetie addiction! ^_^  
  
Where was I? Oh, yeah, REVIEW! REVIEW! Thou shalt review all fiction thou readest in order to obtain a seat at the author's right hand! (My new commandment, and I'm Christian-Wicca, so no blasphemy is intended).  
  
And I meant she loved Neville as a friend! You've never said that to someone? Geez, get your minds out of the gutter, people! It's a D/Hr fic for cryin' out loud, and there's plenty of time for bad thoughts later on.  
  
OK, my thankyous and messages to reviewers.  
  
Firstly, Silent - I got your lyrics, and they're perfect! I'll have to work them in somehow.reckon he's got a good singing voice? Oh, and 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?' could also be effective. I'm hoping you're getting the same idea that I'm picturing here, with the first verse. Anyone else who just read that note.forget I said anything about it. *OBLIVIATE!* teeheehee, I just wanted to write that.  
  
ArdenRiddle - I've got 2 reviews to reply to, so see below! Your name's last on the list cuz it was the first review I got after posting, although it was for the 1st chapter.  
  
BioHelixx - I explained the prefect thing, probably not very convincingly, but it does make sense. Also, the punctuation's correct.I live with writers, and my mum's one too, so I've had all the grammar drilled into me since I was a tiny kid. Don't get me started on how to punctuate speech. ^_~  
  
Ichigo - what is she? Keep reading and you'll find out!  
  
Faith - well, if you like character development you should hopefully like the rest of this. It's more about how they get there than their actual 'romance' if you can call it that.hope you got the e-mail.  
  
Semiramis - thank you!  
  
hasapi - if I said before that I was gonna get crueller, all I can say now is that you ain't seen nothing yet! ^_^ And hey, you're also one of Slytherin Girl's new beta readers!  
  
Harriet Vane - 'curves in all the right places' - I know, I hate it too! I reread the chapter and I just cringed at the sight of it. I will never, ever try to write at 5am again! And I won't redeem him too fast. Trust me, if I did, the whole story would be pointless.  
  
DemonWitch666 - firstly, I love the name! Secondly, I changed the subcategory to suspense, so you might have to wait a bit (okay, a lot) longer!  
  
A-writer-for-life - don't worry, my e-mail account sometimes (usually) just doesn't work. I'm hopefully changing soon (actually, just have, it's temporarily s_star@buffy-slayer.org). But if I need advice, I'll remember your offer.  
  
hyper_shark - more trouble the more we get into the story, trust me.  
  
Felicity - hopefully, I'll be writing much, much more.  
  
dreamer - I'm glad you appreciate it!  
  
hobbit_shortness - aw, thanx! I'm glad you liked it! And write more of 'Truthful Love' soon, 'kay?  
  
tearful spider - nice to hear from someone who's good with words. ^_^  
  
drych - thank you so much! You have no idea how much comments like that mean to me! And I'm on someone's fave author list! GO ME! Also, thanx for saying you'll check out 'Masquerade' - you have no idea how mad DKFairy was when she saw that comment and realised I'd mentioned it.  
  
ArdenRiddle - nice to know my writing isn't slipping! And I'm eagerly awaiting more of your fic.  
  
And to everyone, I've had some people wanting me to e-mail them when this is updated. If you wanna be on the very short list, just put a note in your review and I'll send you mail when I stop writing messages to reviewers and start actually getting on with the story itself!  
  
Luv y'all loads, and keep reviewing (please!)  
  
*S_Star, whose stupid keyboard put a dash instead of an underscore in her username when she was registering so she's stuck like this.* 


	4. Author's Note and Plea

AN: OK, there won't be more of this for a while: I've somehow managed to lose the notebook where I had all my plans, ideas, and snippets of future chapters, so I've gotta rewrite it and remember the entire plot!  
  
So, please bear with me, and if you have any ideas, suggestions or wanna help at all, it's greatly appreciated! Just review, or if you want e-mail me at ceele001@medway.org.uk for longer ideas (welcome!)  
  
Thank you for readin' so far, and I await any ideas you may have!  
  
*S_Star*  
  
PS, it won't let me change the dash to an underslash, for some reason it just keeps it the same when I change it. Stupid ff.net - any ideas why it's doing that? 


	5. Questions and Quidditch

One of Diamond, One of Stone  
  
By S_Star  
  
'If one was of diamond and one was of stone, which would shatter first?'  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own a single hair on Draco's gorgeous blond head. Or any other characters, but we don't care about them, right? I mean, no offence intended, but I don't really want to own Ron. (Please, no flames about that; I'm entitled to an opinion.)  
  
Oh., and the term 'Malfoyesque' has been taken from Maya's 'Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing.Rat?' which is my favourite fic. It can be found at http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Maya/Amazing_Bouncing_Rat/ and I recommend you read it because it is so frickin' hilarious!  
  
Feedback: If you write yourself, you will understand that hunger for reviews, that burning desire to know what people think, always striving to improve and lapping up any comments that may be left, that anticipation right before you click 'Stats' to see your reviews and the thrill of seeing that you have, in fact, got more than when you last checked, and the way in which your eyes rake over the review page, absorbing every detail, etc, etc.please, review!  
  
Dedication: For DK, who's pretty much been my lifeline this Christmas, and kept me sane in the face of cooking and *shudders* relatives.  
  
  
  
Questions and Quidditch  
  
  
  
Draco smiled smugly and opened his mouth to make one of his oh so witty comments, but before he could, Hermione had turned and brushed past him to catch up with Harry and Ron and explain what exactly was going on without giving anything away. That wouldn't be too hard, right?  
  
Scowling, Draco turned and stalked back towards the Slytherin common room. After the double potions lesson they'd just had to endure, there was an early lunch and then the match this afternoon.  
  
To tell the truth, Draco had absolutely no interest whatsoever in how Gryffindor fared that afternoon, or Ravenclaw really. The Slytherin team had so far played two matches, one against Hufflepuff and one against Ravenclaw, and they'd won them both, whereas Gryffindor had only played one, versus Hufflepuff, and had done the impossible and lost due to the.ineptness was probably the most polite way of putting it, of one of their beaters. He didn't like the Gryffindors, that much would always be true, but he honestly didn't think they'd be stupid enough to let Ronald Weasley within a five-foot radius of a broomstick, especially with a bat in his hand. But kind, gallant Harry Potter had decided to offer his freckled friend a position on the team, for lack of anyone better, and quite probably out of pure pity. To Draco, this was the one time the Boy Who Lived a Sad and Pathetic Life had truly shown the courage that everyone kept droning on about.  
  
In conclusion, the only reason this match was worth going to was for the humour value of the Weasel's performance, but that was actually quite a good incentive to attend.  
  
'Parseltongue,' he said and entered the common room, where the rest of Slytherin, at least those who had anything remotely resembling a life of their own, were lounging around absently before lunch and Crabbe and Goyle were standing around like lemons just inside the door waiting for him.  
  
'What did Snape want?' asked Goyle, slightly muffled by the cake he'd somehow managed to acquire, but Draco didn't question those two when it came to food.  
  
'Detention Friday at eight,' he answered simply, seating himself on one of the leather couches, hands behind his head and feet resting on the nearest table.  
  
'Snape gave YOU a detention?' asked Blaise Zabini from the couch perpendicular to his, lowering the magazine she'd been reading and looking at him in disbelief.  
  
'McGonagall was there too, so.' He shrugged, picking up Blaise's magazine from the table and flicking through it disinterestedly before tossing it back down again.  
  
'Well, you don't really seem bothered about it. I thought you'd at least try and complain about it. I mean, we're talking about Snape here. He's more afraid of your dad than you are!'  
  
'No, why would I be bothered about being stuck in the dungeons with Granger for hours?'  
  
Blaise squinted at him, trying to tell whether he was being sincere or sarcastic. Draco's reticence was one of his most annoying features, and what was especially annoying was the fact that he was so.Draco. With anyone else, people would've been able to tell, no matter how much they tried to hide it, what they were really saying, but part of his character prevented that, and even Blaise, who had a strange talent for seeing through people, had never been able to figure him out, and although he was among 'friends' if the Slytherins could be called that, the force field he seemed to have around him never wavered. And this was never questioned.  
  
Giving up, Blaise picked up the magazine again and turned back to the page with an interesting debate about 'Makeup: Magic vs Muggle' in which the wizarding world were once again triumphing before taking another approach. 'Yeah, we heard about you and Granger. What's up with that?'  
  
'Well,' he began, and she couldn't help but lower the magazine again to get a proper look at him. 'She's constantly in the library, so I went down there to.talk to her.' There it was, that glint in his eyes that seemed to turn them from their usual steel blue into a liquid silver, which only appeared when he was up to something.  
  
'Talking?' She raised an eyebrow, a skill which seemed to have been acquired by all the Slytherins. 'Is that all?'  
  
At this, he did show some emotion: his mouth twisted into what had been over the years labelled his 'Evil Smirk', not to be confused with his 'Triumphant Smirk', his 'Smug Smirk' and his 'I-just-kicked-some-Gryffindor- butt Smirk'.  
  
'I assure you, it was purely a business meeting.'  
  
That smirk, like all the others, was not to be taken lightly. It was as important a symbol of his Malfoy-ness as his hair and eyes. But unlike his hair and eyes, whose only function seemed to be to turn every girl in a ten mile radius into a puddle of jelly, that smirk served a specific purpose.  
  
It was a sign that he was plotting something evil. For anyone else, that could be taken lightly, and some people may even have taken it that way in Draco's case.if they were very foolish. Because in the case of Draco - or any Malfoy for that matter - something evil meant something EVIL; some dastardly deed or poisonous plot that could or would end in pain, torment and blood, or at least immense personal gain.  
  
Which is why, at the sight of the smirk, Blaise decided to leave the subject alone for as long as possible, because it wasn't usually - well, ever - wise to question or enter the direct vicinity of a Malfoy when he had that look in his eyes, no matter how hot it made him. She smirked her own smirk then, a very Blaise smirk that could only apply when her thoughts had drifted into the nearest gutter.  
  
At this, Draco raised his own eyebrow and glanced around the common room for something to either read, steal or destroy. He liked Blaise, he really did. She was pretty much the only person in the whole house who could hold a decent conversation without either mentioning the Dark Lord, shoving food into her mouth every ten seconds, or stopping to think of something to say. It was hardly surprising that she held the position of third in the year, after himself and Granger, or that she was the other Slytherin prefect.  
  
She had two faults that he really noticed, however, and they were the fact that her mind practically had its own reserved space in the gutter where it was located at that moment, and the other was her talent for divination.  
  
Not just the future-telling side of it, well, really, not the future part at all. No, it was her knowledge of the present that scared him. He'd mentioned this to Pansy once, and she'd just giggled and said he was silly for thinking that divination applied to the present, though obviously not in those exact words. But it was.  
  
Blaise seemed to possess a realistic form of psychic power whereby she could see what anyone was thinking at any time. He wasn't sure whether she was just a good judge of character, expression and body language or whether she was just plain psychic, but it was disconcerting to be 'analysed' by her. It was quite obvious when she was doing that; she had a look on her face of concentration, and Draco always had to doubly guard his thoughts around her. Okay, so he wasn't ashamed of what he was doing to Granger; a Malfoy's gotta do what a Malfoy's gotta do, but he didn't really want anyone to know about it. It was their dirty little secret.  
  
He smirked again at this, his 'Cat-that-ate-the-canary Smirk', which could sometimes be confused with the 'Smug Smirk', but anyone who knew him well enough to look closely could see that his mouth was more turned-up like a regular smile when it was the former.  
  
Actually, thinking of eating, wasn't it about lunchtime? Glancing at the clock that stood in the corner of the common room, which was similar to the one in the Weasleys' house, except with hands labelled with each year number, and another one for prefects, one for the Quidditch team, as well as occasionally individual pupils if they had detentions or appointments, he noticed that all the hands were now pointing at the place where the twelve would be, which was currently labelled 'Lunch: Great Hall'.  
  
Propelling himself out of his chair with enviable grace, he started for the exit, and as if on some silent signal, the rest of the population of the common room also rose and followed their unspoken leader to the Great Hall before they were to witness the Weasel's next big performance.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Hermione was sitting by Parvati, Lavender and Ginny at the Gryffindor table, trying to stop herself from standing up and pacing the length of the Hall as she waited for Ron and Harry to come in. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to explain to them, they wouldn't understand, and there was no way she could go into too much detail without Malfoy telling everybody that.so how was she going to do it?  
  
She couldn't get any advice from Parvati and Lavender; they were too busy questioning her on what it felt like to kiss 'that sex-god.yeah, I know he's a Slytherin, but you can't argue with a body like that.' to listen to her denial.  
  
Ginny was smarter; she understood that something Malfoyesque was afoot, but until she could find out what, there was no way she could help. She was at that moment trying to hold Hermione down and assure her that the boys wouldn't be mad, but she know how possessive they were, especially her brother, and there was no way this could happen which didn't involve yelling, accusations and some curses, if not punches, thrown at the aforementioned 'sex-god'.  
  
Just then, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team entered the hall to thunderous applause, but it was nothing compared to the standing ovation the Gryffindors received from all except Slytherin, who were busily eating away at the chicken legs the house elves had so thoughtfully supplied, only bothering to turn and whistle when Ron entered the hall, his blush as red as his hair as he tried to sneak to his seat without being noticed, a feat which defined the word 'impossible'.  
  
When he and Harry had reached the table with the minimum amount of Slytherin laughter possible, they instantly turned and fixed their gaze on Hermione, who'd been watching their progress, applauding with the rest of the hall.  
  
'So, how did you do on the potions exam? I know I failed, I mean, not like normal, I really know; Snape said. I mean, that last potion just shrivelled up and I knew it was wrong before I even did it, just like with the first two-'  
  
'Okay, Hermione, breathe,' said Ginny, noticing her friend's voice getting shriller as it always did when she panicked.  
  
'You mean the great Hermione Granger knew she was failing and didn't do anything about it?' asked Ron. It was hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or just plain rude, so Hermione concluded that he was trying to decide whether or not he was still 'talking to her'.  
  
'I was.distracted,' she said by way of explanation.  
  
'By your new boyfriend?' he asked, and this time his voice contained real bitterness.  
  
'What?'  
  
'He means Malfoy,' explained Harry. Although he was usually more forgiving than Ron, the way in which he spat out those words didn't give Hermione any more confidence in her situation.  
  
'Well, yes,' she admitted, before realising WHAT she'd admitted. 'I mean, no. Well, he was distracting me, but not like that, you see-' She was cut off again, this time by the blue-eyed stare fixed on her from over Ron's shoulder.  
  
'What she means is that Malfoy's up to something, but she can't tell anyone what because it's Malfoy,' explained Ginny, and Hermione made a mental note to buy her that new quill she wanted by way of thanks. For now, she settled for a look of gratitude, followed by one of shock.  
  
'Yeah, right,' scoffed Ron, shoving a spoonful of mashed potato into his mouth, disputing the usual pre-match custom of being too nervous to eat a thing.  
  
'What?' asked the girls simultaneously.  
  
Even Harry had the decency to be worried by this. 'Ron, I really wouldn't put it past him to-'  
  
'Yeah, but they got detentions for being in the library after-hours. Together.' He fixed a glare on Hermione. 'Pass the gravy.'  
  
'Well, that's true,' began Hermione.  
  
'Exactly, and if nothing's going on between you, why were you there?'  
  
'Ron, I was studying for the potions exam when I fell asleep, and then he came in and woke me up.' Okay, this was beginning to get exasperating. Hermione should've remembered that trying to prove something to Ron Weasley was like teaching a brick wall to speak Parseltongue, she'd been through it enough times, and she sometimes imagined that a brick wall would be much easier to work with.  
  
'Why did he wake you up, then? Why was he down there unless he was meeting you for some kind of.' He shuddered, 'Rendezvous?'  
  
At any other time, Ron's abysmal pronunciation, or rather his abuse of the French language, would have appeared funny, much like Filch and the air quotes.  
  
At the memory of this, she did laugh, almost hysterically, receiving confused stares from all the tables and raised eyebrows from everyone in Slytherin except Malfoy himself, who was doing that sincere thing he'd taken to since that morning.  
  
She eventually managed to calm down to the hiccoughing stage after being vigorously slapped on the back by Ginny, and Ron seemed to take that response to the idea of a 'rendezvous' between her and Draco to be a clear enough sign of innocence, and turned back to his now gravy-soaked potatoes without question as conversation to the effect of 'you'll do great, Harry, stop worrying!' flew over his head.  
  
  
  
***  
  
As usual, the whole school had turned out for the match, whether to encourage one or both of the teams or just to watch 'The Weasel Show' as it had been dubbed at lunchtime in one of Draco's weirder moments.  
  
Hermione was seated in her normal place on the Gryffindor stands, next to Ginny with her giant 'GO TEAM!' banner on one side and, to her extreme dismay, Lavender on the other, who appeared to have vowed that she would not stop questioning Hermione until she knew every detail of Malfoy's mouth, a thought which made Hermione glad she hadn't eaten that much for lunch.  
  
But she knew that when the match began, none of that would matter. She loved watching Quidditch, not to see her team win as she knew many of her housemates did, but so that she could fly.  
  
It was strange how much she loved flying. She could listen to Harry rave about it for hours and completely identify. The feeling that she could fly forever and never have to get down was what blew her mind, not that the freedom or the speed wasn't breathtaking. It was that she sometimes wanted to escape, and she knew she could, one day.  
  
She'd been taunted by the Quidditch team on numerous occasions for her apparent fear of flying when she didn't want to have a go on the Firebolt at one of their practices, but she did have a broom of her own.  
  
The only reason she didn't really fly as much as so many others was because there was no chance. In first year, they had flying lessons, but once they knew the basics of riding a broomstick, it stopped, and there was really no reason for anyone besides the house Quidditch teams to fly. It really made the mandatory purchase of a broomstick at the beginning of their time at Hogwarts seem completely pointless when you considered it.  
  
But she still had the broom she'd got that August, and she still flew when she could. But watching the way the players flew, as they were now, with their grace, their skill.she could get completely lost in these matches, watching the speed with which the chasers chased, the aptitude of the Keepers, the urgency with which the Beaters sped to and fro across the pitch, and of course the amazing swift and accurate motions of the Seekers.  
  
But today it was not to be. As much as she tried to get absorbed in the game again, she couldn't stop staring into the twin pools of ice that remained fixed on her from the Slytherin stands for the duration of the match.  
  
  
  
AN - this chapter was by far the most fun to write so far, especially the conversation between Blaise and Draco. It was also a lot more light- hearted than the other chapters, which is strange. So, what did you think? Did it feel out of place or natural? It's weird, my narrative style seems to change with the content of the chapters, so I write darker when the content's darker or something. I don't know, so again I call for your opinion. And you know how to do that, don't you?  
  
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! NOW! Go on, there's a little purple-y button at the bottom of the screen.unless you're afraid, AUNT JOSEPHINE (sorry, I've been reading 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket (an anagram of 'Let's nick money'), available at almost all remotely decent bookstores and full of woe). Anyway, I think it was Dizzy who said that reviews are the life and death of the fiction, and that's about right, wouldn't you say? So let me live! Aw, come on! I'll give you a cookie! See, that gotcha! What, you're still here? OK, read this part, and THEN review, but I'm not gonna ask again, so you'd better do it.believe me, I can make it worth your while ^_~  
  
OK, I wanna thank everyone who reviewed during that brief time without a plot when my fave red notebook went missing, but thankfully I found my memory and the matching red disk that had fallen down the back of my desk and was discovered when I was reorganising my room for Xmas, and I now have a plotline and the last paragraph of the fic. It's gonna be an epic (though not quite as epic as 'I Won't Walk Away' by Slytherin Girl, probably the longest fic I've read, and one of the best - read it! Hey, ironically enough, that song's just started playing as I'm writing this.weird.) so hold tight.but, saying that, my last epic suddenly stopped after about 13 chapters when I killed off the main characters (in a tasteful way that made some people cry and fit with the plot), so I'm not really the best judge.  
  
So, onto the personal messages (this is the most fun part of writing this fic, what does that tell you about me?).  
  
dracoluver99 - one of the best you've ever read? Really? Wow, thanx! Oh, and I read your story, but since I downloaded it and read it offline, I haven't reviewed, but when I check out the latest chapter, I will. I LOVE IT!  
  
A-writer-for-life (not logged in this time) - thanx, but for some reason it just changes it to a dash when I type an underscore.God knows why, it's not like no one has underscores in their usernames. Oh well, I'm still me!  
  
Felicity - here's one of the next chapters, and believe me, there'll be plenty more!  
  
hasapi - thank you! And yes, Snape has yet to recognise her genius.  
  
Adel - just a guess, but are you a Final Fantasy fan? ^_^ And C4 is here! Now you've just got 5, 6, 7, 8.to wait for!  
  
Biohelixx - here's more! And I hope I didn't sound too rude saying the punctuation was correct, I feel like I've offended you now! If I have, feel free to reprimand me.  
  
hyper_shark - thanx again!  
  
PassionPolice237 - well, here's more to get into, and I have it saved on one disc, 3 computers and a CD so I won't ever lose it again!  
  
Elluxion - thank you! And no matter how many times I type it with an underslash it still puts a dash. Grr.  
  
Ichigo - found it, saved it so many times it seems extreme even to me, and am ready to write!  
  
some one (x2) - will do!  
  
Tearful Spider - I can understand your name now. ^_^ I just thought it was better that y'all knew my plight, and anyway, I'm back and writing!  
  
drych - got 2 reviews to talk about, so scroll down a little further!  
  
mab (x2) - you don't have to wait that much longer!  
  
hobbit shortness - thank you so much! Yeah, I love Enya. My family have every single song she's ever done! And I've gotta agree, May It Be is the best one (judging by your username and fiction, I take it you got it from the LotR soundtrack? Me too!). Oh, and Flora's Secret is track 6 on her album 'A Day Without Rain', and if you want a copy, I'm meant to be sending one to drych, so just ask! The new chapter's as good as ever, and still I want more! Draco will always be smart, and Snape will always be an unwashed jerk.some things just never change! And that's how the blackmail was meant to be.I'm glad someone appreciates it! And, as I said, it's gonna be epic, so you don't have to worry about the length. And merry belated Xmas and a happy new year!  
  
drych - I'll pass it on to DK, I know she'll appreciate it! Yeah, I can send you a copy of Flora's Secret.and always remember that song.as I said, it's there for a reason. Yep, I like the Mia thing.it's weird, it kinda just suddenly started when I couldn't be bothered to type Hermione's whole name.lol. The detention.yep, could be fun. I'm not saying anything just yet, though; you'll have to wait and see. Y'know what? When I lost the book, I came up with all these little scenes and touches I didn't think of before, and when I read through the previous ideas on the lost disc, I realised how much more I could add and improve, so yeah, I'm hoping it's gonna be all good. I loved the idea, and I e-mailed you about it.  
  
Oh, wait, just told DK.she's glad you like it and has actually written three paragraphs of the next chapter (that's the most she's ever written of one fic!)  
  
Thanx again!  
  
Anyway, for everyone who's read or is reading this, who has or hasn't reviewed, there's lots more to come, hopefully in the very near future, so keep posted and have a happy new year!  
  
*S_Star, whose username is not as annoying as her brother who's trying to open this file on the other computer on the network and hijack it.GREG, I'M WATCHING YOU!* 


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